The One Who Stood by Me : How it Started
by Krisia.Lives.To.Laugh
Summary: Life was hard and they both could attest to that. However in the midst of all those hardships, they stood by each other.Tezuka/OC Read how a girl became special to Tezuka Kunimitsu.
1. Cafe Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own POT.**

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Chapter 1

It was a hot Friday afternoon and I, Chiharu Venus Sakamoto was now currently in a café waiting for my best friends. I stared at myself in the glass mirror and examined my outfit. I was wearing a light blue cotton t-shirt and dark blue skinny jeans matched with a pair of black doll shoes. My hair was in a ponytail, like always. All in all, my outfit was just right for the summer season. I stifled a yawn as I checked my watch for the umpteenth time.

"Venus!" A familiar voice called out, making me look up from my watch. There standing in the doorway were my two best friends, Ericka Trixie Veda and Leah Nicole Salvador, who were 20 minutes late.

"Venus! We're here!" Trixie shouted, waving her arms frantically.

Trixie has short and shiny black hair just reaching her shoulders, dark brown eyes and a short-slim figure. She was wearing a white tank top, a ruffled pink skirt just below the knees and a pair of pink glittered doll shoes. A pair of white heart-shaped earrings decorated her ears and she was carrying a white handbag.

I smiled at them and raised my hand as a greeting. They made their way towards the corner of the café where I was seated. Leah sat on my left while Trixie sat across me. After giving our orders, I decided to ask them.

"So… is there a reason why you're late?" I asked them, resting my chin on my intertwined fingers, elbows on the table.

"That's because Leah was awake till dawn last night. And when I went to her house she was still sleeping." Trixie explained.

The both of us looked at Leah expectantly. She has blackish-brown hair right past her shoulders. Her eyes were charcoal black and with a tall-slim figure she easily captures the attention of many people in the café. She was wearing a brown vest with white linings over a short sleeved white shirt and black pants with matching black converse. Her brown bag was on the table. She was busy texting on her cellphone while smiling and blushing. She must have noticed us going quiet because she looked up from her phone to find us looking at her.

"Uhmm… sorry, were you saying something?" She asked as a waitress placed 3 glasses of water on our table. After uttering a small 'Thank you' to the waitress, I sipped at the glass in front of me.

"It's obvious you're not listening Leah." I said, setting the glass on the table.

"She's right! What's going on that you keep smiling at your cellphone like that?" Trixie exclaimed, grabbing her cellphone.

"Trixie! Don't!" Leah shouted as she tried to grab her phone but Trixie quickly stood up and ran far away from Leah.

I watched as my best friends ran around the café for a good two seconds before pretending that I don't know them and looking out of the window, busying myself with counting the cars passing by.

As I sipped from my glass of water, another waitress came and served our food. I was quick to grab Leah's bag but failed to notice that the zipper was open so all the contents of the bag was now on the floor. I hastily got on my knees and started to pick her things up. The last thing I picked up was a camera. I opened the camera and was greeted by a picture that made me smile. After looking through more of the pictures, I turned off the camera and placed it back in the bag. I stood up just in time to see Leah and Trixie walking towards the table. Both of them were panting for breath when they finally reached the table and literally collapsed on their chairs.

"So… did you get answers to your questions?" I asked Trixie when they both had caught their breaths.

"No… Leah's fast plus she's taller than me so she easily got it." She said, pouting. "I hate this! Why do I have to be so short!?" She wailed.

Leah and I tried to hold our laughter but in the end we laughed, receiving a glare from Trixie before the three of us laughed out loud.

I sighed after our laughter died down. "Let's eat." I said, receiving a nod from both of them.

Our little snack was uneventful. Trixie did most of the talking with Leah and me listening to her crazy antics.

"How about you two? How was your of summer?" Trixie asked.

"Ask Leah. I'm sure for her it was eventful." I said, turning to look at the said girl with a sly smile.

Leah choked on what she was eating. She drank some water before looking at me with wide eyes. Trixie looked at me, then at Leah, then at me again, not catching the hidden meaning of my sentence.

"What are you waiting for Trixie? Ask her." I said innocently.

"Why Leah? How was it?" Trixie asked, still confused with the flow of the conversation.

"U-uhm… i-it was o-okay." Leah said, stuttering while fiddling with her skirt and blushing.

"From what I know you went to a concert last night. What happened there?" I said, grinning at Leah.

"U-uhm…" She started, trying to make an excuse but in the end she just sighed in defeat. "How did you know?" She asked me, bowing her head, seemingly embarrassed that I knew about her secret.

I reached for her left hand. "Leah… you don't have to be embarrassed about it." I said, squeezing her hand before letting go.

"Sorry." She said.

"Since when?" I asked her.

"Last Monday." She looked up, a shy smile on her face.

"Wait! What are you two talking about!?" Trixie shouted. Then she started ranting about how we weren't telling her about what we knew and how we were being secretive that our conversation made her confused and dizzy. Then she started to repeat our conversation.

"Then Venus asked since when then –" She stopped abruptly and looked at Leah with horrified eyes. "Don't tell me you're pregnant!" She whispered loud enough for both of us to hear.

I stared at her dumbfounded after hearing what she said while Leah's face turned crimson red.

"Trixie!" Leah shouted.

"So it's true!?" Trixie whispered, making me mentally face-palm myself.

"Leah… It's better to tell her… there." I suggested, pointing to the restroom. Leah just nodded and half-dragged, half-carried Trixie to the said place.

Trixie really is crazy sometimes but that's what we love about her though I don't really know where she gets those kinds of ideas. I giggled at the thought. It's funny now that I think about how the three of us are best friends when we have different characteristics. I guess were just happy to be with someone who accepts us as who we are. At least for me it's enough.

I smiled when I remembered as to what caused Leah's happiness. A bigger smile made its way to my face as I thought of the many pictures in Leah's camera and the first picture that had caught my attention. The picture? It was a picture of her and a guy with charcoal black, shaggy hair and light brown eyes. I know this guy, Leah has liked this guy for a year now and I was the first to know since she asked me about him. Why me? Easy, he's my neighbor and our fathers were high school best friends. She's also Trixie's classmate and he's the –

"Venus?" A familiar voice called me, snapping me out of my reverie.

_Speak of the devil and he shall come. _I looked up to see Leah's so called "date" last night, the one and only Michael James Tuazon. _I wonder what he's doing here. Better yet… I wonder when he's gonna tell me about his girlfriend. _And that's when I decided to play around a bit.

"Michael?" I said, feigning surprise.

"Are you okay Venus?" He said, taking a seat in front of me.

Did I also tell you that he's my best guy-friend? For all those years that we were neighbors we became best friends and since our fathers are best friends, our families would always hang around and goof off.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked him.

"Because… you know… about your plan." He seemed a little tense about the subject of the conversation.

"Michael… I'm fine really." He let out a sigh of relief. "I'm just a little worried about Leah... She woke up just this afternoon because she was up till dawn. Do you know anything about it?" I said with all the innocence in me.

"No use hiding it Venus, I know that you already know about my relationship with Leah." He said and from the corner of my eye I saw the restroom door open.

"How long do you think will it last until it spreads out?" He asked.

"Actually… I know it wouldn't last." I said and he raised his eyebrow as if saying why.

"Look Leah, your boyfriend's here!" Trixie shouted just as Michael was to ask something.

"Trixie!" Leah shouted, beat red from what our best friend shouted.

"Why!? Are you telling me that you don't want him as your boyfriend!?" Trixie shouted once again.

"Trixie, it's not that—" I started.

"Then why!?" Trixie interjected my explanation. Then, she started enumerating as to why Leah would not be happy with Michael.

"You're too loud, Trixie." Michael cut her off.

"What does my loudness have to do with this?" She asked.

"Trixie, look around." I said as I rubbed my temples.

Trixie looked around and for the first time noticed just how much attention her shouting gained. She quickly apologized, grabbed her bag and sat down beside me. Leah followed suit and sat beside Michael as a waitress came and took his order.

"So… how did you two end up together again?" Trixie asked the couple. We were well aware that she was trying to change the topic and we just went with the flow. Besides, this was a great way to learn how my two best friends came to be together. We started eating again after all the ruckus. Soon after, Trixie started asking the couple some questions. Michael would mostly answer until a waitress came and served his order. After that we ate in silence.

oOo

"So we all know that my summer was awesome…" Trixie started after we finished our food.

"We also know that Leah and Michael's summer was eventful considering they were all lovey-dovey that time." I supplied as Trixie nodded.

"Venus." Michael threatened as Leah blushed red.

"Hey… just joking." I raised my hands up in defense.

"So the only question now is…" Trixie paused.

"Trixie this isn't a suspense movie so ask it already." Michael and I said at the same time.

"Whoa, you're like twins." Trixie said, clapping her hands. We just shrugged.

"So, the question?" I asked.

Trixie quickly reverted back to her old self. "Ah… how was yours, Venus?" She asked.

I froze and caught Michael's eye. He nodded.

"It was okay… actually that was why I wanted to see you both." I took a deep breath and continued. "I'm leaving for Japan tomorrow and this time I'll stay there for good." I said. A moment of silence followed.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier!? Then we could have prepared a farewell party." Trixie exclaimed, crossing her arms and pouting.

"I thought you were gonna say that you have cancer or something." Leah said relieved.

"What? Leah, that's impossible." Trixie said.

"It can happen. Venus was sickly when we were little." Michael reasoned, siding with his girlfriend.

"But that was a long time ago." Trixie defended.

I couldn't help it, I started giggling. Their conversation quickly stopped as they looked at me.

"Sorry… it's just that… I couldn't help it." I said in between giggles.

"Venus!" Trixie jumped at me and hugged me.

"You're back to normal." Leah said, smiling.

"Huh?" I was perplexed.

"Nothing." Leah said as Trixie let go.

"Why are you gonna go there again?" Leah asked.

"Ah… I just remembered that Grandma wanted me to see the place where she grew up." I said.

"But didn't you go there last summer?" Leah asked.

"Yeah, but I want to live there… you know… just to experience things that Grandma did." I said, remembering my grandmother.

You see, my father, Christian Sakamoto, handles a rehabilitation center for retired or injured sport players in Australia, making it hard for him to come visit us. As for my mother, Akumi Sakamoto, she died of brain cancer leaving me alone to live with her mother, Miharu Kobayashi, ever since I was 4 years old.

Miharu Kobayashi, my very sweet and kind grandmother, was the one whom I grew up with. Dad once told me that she promised to raise me just as she raised my mother. She would always cook food for me and help with the things I need. She would even sometimes come inside my room at night to brush my hair before I sleep. She was the perfect grandmother. However, things started to change just months before summer vacation. Grandma became weaker and weaker and when we went to the hospital, it was said that she was diagnosed with leukemia. After hearing this news, Dad immediately came home and he was the one who took care of me at home and of Grandma in the hospital but just a month after she was diagnosed with leukemia, she died. I was so distraught that I would keep myself locked up in my bedroom.

**_FLASHBACK…_**

**_ I stayed locked up in my bedroom and I had refused to talk to anyone for the past 2 days. This would be the 3_****_rd_****_ day I'm like this. However, I couldn't blame myself right? My grandmother had been my world. She had been beside me since I was 4 years old. I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one who knew me the best. People should understand that Grandma was my inspiration and they should know how hard it is for me to lose her. However, Grandma told me that life must go on and people should move on and since I had been locked up in my room for the past days, the first thing to do was to get out of my room._**

**_ "So… can we eat now? Together?" A voice behind me asked as I closed my bedroom door. I turned to see a mess of dark green hair and charcoal black eyes, carrying a tray of food. I'm guessing it was for me since it was almost time for lunch. During the past days I had only refused to talk but I had not refused to eat. Dad would prepare it and would bring it to my room, unlocking it with his extra key and setting it down on my study table. He would find it where he had left it, although it would always be half-eaten for I would always cry in the middle of eating, remembering Grandma's cooking. _**

**_ I snapped out of my thoughts to see him raise an eyebrow, reminding me that he was waiting for an answer. I smiled, not fake and not meant either, and nodded._**

**_ As we went down the stairs and into the dining room a thought struck my head. _**_Had Dad been this distraught as well when he lost Mom?_

**_ "Dad what did you do when… you know… Mom died?" I asked after a moment's hesitation._**

**_ After a moment of silence he smiled at me. "I continued living, of course. Your Mom wouldn't be happy if I died and left you alone here wouldn't she?" He said. _**

**_ And with my question asked and answered, I enjoyed the rest of the day only keeping in thought Grandma and how she would like it if I continued to live._**

**_END FLASHBACK…_**

A few weeks after that incident I had decided to ask Dad if he would let me live in Japan with my cousin and his wife and he said yes. Michael and his family had been the first one to know about it. Michael had even promised to help me pack. _Pack…_

"Shoot!" I burst out loudly. The three of them looked at me confused.

"Venus, is something wrong?" Leah asked.

"Hehehe… I haven't packed my things yet." I said sheepishly.

"That's okay, we still have time." Michael said. He then asked a waiter for the bill.

"What time is your flight anyway, Venus?" Leah asked.

"10 o'clock tomorrow morning." I answered.

"That means –" Leah started.

"We still have time to buy you a farewell gift!" Trixie exclaimed, cutting her off. Then before anyone could stop her, she gathered her things and dragged Leah out of the café yelling, "We'll see you tomorrow! Don't even think about leaving without us seeing you off!"

I watched the two of them disappear into the crowd of people outside the café before turning to Michael, who was paying the bill.

"Michael… What are you doing here anyway?" I said, remembering my unasked question.

"I was hungry so I looked for a place to eat." He answered.

"Ahh…" I said as we went out the café, heading towards home. The sky had already turned to a bright orange color as we walked.

"Venus… seriously… how did you forget to pack?" He said, trying hard not to laugh.

"I had a lot of things in mind that time." I retorted.

"Like what?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Oh just shut up." I said, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

He gave out a small laugh before walking silently beside me.

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Hey Guys! This is actually my first attempt in writing a multi-chaptered fanfic so I am so very sorry if there is anything wrong and I would really appreciate it if you point out any mistakes I had made and I would kindly put it to effect in the next chapter. Btw, this fanfic is dedicated to my friend (you know who you are…). Hope you like it! ~Krisia


	2. A New Country

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT.**

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Chapter 2

I watched as the seats were immediately occupied by people. Looking out the window, I reminisced on what happened earlier.

Dad had already boarded his plane and had left for Australia at exactly 9:00 am. As expected, my best friends had arrived a few minutes before the intercom announced that my plane was boarding passengers. They were all out of breaths and their clothes and hair was in disarray. Also, during those few minutes, Trixie had been crying and wailing. How she was gonna miss me, never forget her, books before boys, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Leah, on the other hand, although there were tears running down her face, had been more composed, whispering a "We'll miss you." when she hugged me. Michael, like her girlfriend had been composed as well, giving me their farewell gift and telling me that he had proclaimed me as his twin sister. I laughed just as the intercom announced that my flight had started boarding passengers. I started to walk towards the terminal but before I entered, I took one last look behind me and what I saw was one memory I would never forget. Leah was hugging a crying Trixie and Michael had his arms around both of them. _They looked like a family. _ I giggled at the thought.

Turning my attention down, I stared at the beautiful medium-sized wrapped box resting on my lap. I hesitated for a moment before untying the ribbon and carefully lifting the lid of the box. What I saw made my eyes watery. It was the silver and gold music box that I had planned to buy for Grandma's birthday. Opening it, I heard the soft tune of Beethoven's Fur Elise.

"You've got a beautiful music box there." A voice said to my right.

I turned and saw a middle aged woman probably in her late 50's looking at the music box. She has auburn hair tied into a ponytail and brown eyes.

"Did your friends give it to you?" She asked and it took me a moment to realize that she was speaking Japanese.

"Hai, they did." I said, smiling and brushing the tears out of my eyes.

"You're lucky to have friends like them then." She said.

"I guess I am, Ma'am." I replied, proud that I am.

"Ryuzaki Sumire."

"Sakamoto Chiharu. Nice to meet you."

My reply made her raise an eyebrow. "Are you by chance related to Sakamoto Christian?" She asked.

oOo

The whole plane ride I talked with Ryuzaki-san. It turns out that she was Dad's math teacher and tennis coach. She told me all about Dad when he was just in middle school. She had many funny stories about him. Like when he was in 3rd year he was always chased by fan girls because he was one of the tennis regulars in his school. He was being chased when he saw Mom and dragged her with him. Ryuzaki-san was passing by the corridor when it happened. She didn't know much about Mom though because Mom just transferred there on her third year of middle school. However; she did tell me that Mom was smart, beautiful and kind. She also told me that after the dragging incident, she would always see Mom watching outside the courts, silently supporting Dad as she called it.

oOo

"Will all passengers please sit down and fasten their seatbelts. We will be arriving at our destination shortly." Ryuzaki-san had just finished telling me another one of Dad's many adventures when the intercom had announced that we would be landing soon.

"Well it looks like my story about the adventures of your parents is almost over then." Ryuzaki-san said, smiling down at me after she had fastened her seatbelt.

"Aa, I guess it is." I said smiling and fastening my own seatbelt.

A few minutes later, the plane landed on the runway and came to a stop. "You may now unfasten your seatbelt. Please exit the plane orderly. Thank you for flying with us." The intercom announced.

"Well, good luck on your stay here, Chiharu. I hope we see each other again." Ryuzaki-san said as she stood up and gathered her bags.

"Arigatou Ryuzaki-san. I also hope we see each other again as well." I said as I also started to gather my bags.

We went out of the plane and said our farewells. Ryuzaki-san immediately left saying that her granddaughter might be waiting to eat lunch with her and she shouldn't keep her waiting. As for me, I waited a few minutes before hearing a loud voice shout my name.

"Haru! Chiharu!"

I turned my head towards the sound of my name. I looked around and found a guy with a mess of dark green hair, raising an arm and waving it. I smiled and ran towards him. He spread his arms, catching me in time before I crashed into him.

"It's good to see you again Nori-nii." I said, smiling up at my cousin.

"It's good to see you too Haru-chan." He said before letting go and picking up my bags. "Now come on. Kira and Mira are waiting for you." He called over his shoulder, heading for the exit. As we drove through the many streets, my thoughts drifted back to Trixie, Leah, and Michael. I was thinking about what they were doing right now. Would Trixie still be crying? What about Leah? Michael wouldn't cry. But what would he be doing right now?

"Chiharu. Oi, Haru!" Nori shouted, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Ah… gomen. What were you saying?" I asked.

"Never mind." He said, smiling.

"Eh? What is it?" I asked.

"It's nothing." He insisted.

"Really?"

"Yes really."

"Fine… Wait. Nori-nii, this isn't the road to your house." I said after I looked out the window and realized that we had been driving through a street that I don't know.

"Oh Yeah… I forgot to tell you. We moved a few weeks ago to a new house. My company had decided to transfer me to a new branch. The house that we live in now is not far from where I was transferred to." He said.

"Oh okay." I said, memorizing the streets that we passed so I wouldn't get lost.

After a few minutes, Nori pulled up beside a two-story house. "We're here." He said. As we walked up to the front door, a little girl of about two years old with dark green hair and silver eyes walked up to Nori and started jumping.

"Otou-san! Otou-san!" The little girl said. Nori laughed and scooped the little girl up in his arms.

"Nori? What's with all the commotion?" A woman with purple hair and silver eyes said from the doorway of the house.

"Haru's here, Kira." He said.

That's when Kira noticed me behind Nori. "Haru? Is that really you?" She asked, wiping her hand on her apron and walking towards me.

"It's been a while Kira-chan." I said, giving my cousin's wife a hug.

"It has been… do you still remember Mira?" She asked, taking the little girl from Nori's arms.

"Aa. She grew up pretty fast." I said, ruffling the little girl's hair. Mira only giggled.

"Why don't we all go inside? You must be hungry. I cooked quite a meal just for you." She said heading towards the door.

"Eh? You didn't have to Kira-chan."

"Nonsense, you're our guest and you're room's on the 2nd floor, second door on the left… and Haru."

"Hmm?"

"Okaeri!"

"Aa, it's good to be back."

oOo

I sat on my bed, looking at my new room. After lunch, Nori and I quickly set to work in making the room suit me. It wasn't that hard since Dad had bought the furniture a few weeks after my decision. Nori said that he, with the help of Kira, had organized the furniture a week ago. All we had to do was to organize the things I had brought with me.

I lay on my bed and put the covers over me. I was barely awake when I closed my music box which had been playing for a while. And as I closed my eyes, I thought of all the wonderful things I could do in the following years, with new friends and in a new country.

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**As I said to RockPrincess410, here's the second chapter. I'll try to post the next chapter two weeks from now cause I'll be busy these following days. I hope you all like this chapter. And don't forget to review. ~Krisia**


	3. A Visit to the Park

**Disclaimer: I am not the owner of PoT.**

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Chapter 3

I woke up early in the morning and decided to get some exercise. I quickly changed to a sporty attire and went downstairs.

"Ohayo!" I greeted Kira as I entered the kitchen.

"Ohayo Haru-chan. What's with the attire?" She asked and looked at me from head to toe.

"I was planning on getting some exercise. A jog around town might be a good idea." I said.

"Ohayo." Nori said as he entered the kitchen. "You plan on jogging around town?" He asked. I nodded.

"How about you go with her, Nori? She might get lost and besides, I need some ingredients for today." She said handing Nori a list.

"Ok." Nori said and dashed out of the kitchen. A minute later he came back wearing red jogging pants and a white t-shirt. "Ready?" He asked me. I nodded.

"Ittekimasu!"

The moment we stepped out, I took a deep breath and jogged alongside Nori.

"Hey Haru-chan." Nori said as we jogged around a corner.

"Hm?" I said, not tearing my eyes from the street ahead of me.

"Wanna see your new school?" After he said it, my head quickly snapped at his direction.

"Hai!" I beamed.

After a few more blocks, Nori stopped. "We're here." He said.

I looked at where the direction he was looking and I found, what seems to be, my new school. "Seishun Gakuen." I read from the sign just in front of the school. I looked up and saw a figure through one of the windows. _Ryuzaki-san? _I quickly shook the idea out of my mind. What are the chances of Ryuzaki-san teaching here? I mean, there are many schools in this area so there would be a small chance of how she would be teaching here, right? But still… it can be her.

"Haru!" Nori shouted, making me jump.

"You didn't have to shout Nori-nii." I said.

"Sorry, it's just that you're doing that more often."

"What?"

"Staring off to space."

"Really?" I asked and he nodded. Now that I think about it, I have been staring into space more often. How many times was it? Today… Yesterday as well… and even—

"You're doing it again!" Nori shouted once again.

"Huh? Oh sorry."

"It's fine just don't do it during classes, okay?"

"I don't do that during classes Nori-nii." _That's more of like Trixie._

"Are you sure?" _Now he's teasing me._

"Nori-nii." I groaned. "The ingredients?"

"Oh right. Come on."

"Coming, coming."

oOo

I watched as two figures jogged away from the school. The girl was extremely familiar and I couldn't put my finger on it._ My old age must be affecting on me. But still… I've seen that girl before._

"Ryuzaki-san?" A man said as he entered the room.

"Principal Ishikawa."

"There's a new student that you might be interested in." He said, smiling as he handed me some papers. "Here. Anyway, have a good day Ryuzaki-san."

"You as well Principal Ishikawa." I said as he left.

"Sakamoto Chiharu." I read from the papers in my hand and faced the window. The girl on the plane and the girl that just jogged by. That was her. "Sakamoto Chiharu, eh? I think she'll fit just right in this school." I said and chuckled.

oOo

"Nori-nii, do we need something else?" I asked Nori as we walked, groceries in hand.

"Hmm… That's the entire list. How about you? You need something?" He asked.

"Iie." I shook my head.

After a few more minutes, we had arrived home. "Tadaima!" We both said entering the house.

"Okaeri." Kira said.

"Otou-san! Nee-san! Okaeri!" Mira said as she ran towards us.

"Oh so my little angel's awake eh?" Nori said as he scooped up Mira.

"Come on you three. Breakfast is ready!" Kira shouted from the kitchen

"Hai!"

oOo

"Ne, Haru-chan." Kira called my attention as we finished washing the dishes.

"Hmm?" I said.

"Can I ask you a favor?" She said after hesitating.

"Sure. What is it?" I said.

"You see, every Sunday I bring Mira to the park. She would always play there and, you know, just have fun."

"And?"

"Something came up this morning. My sister is coming home with her fiancée and she wanted to celebrate with me and Nori. So…"

"You want me to bring her to the park."

"Please! I'm really sorry! It's just that we'll be celebrating at my brother's house and he's a real jerk sometimes so we can't bring Mira. So could you?"

"Sure thing Kira-chan. It's the least I could do to thank you for letting me stay here."

"Thank you so much Haru-chan." She said, hugging me.

"It's okay, Kira-chan. What time are you gonna be home?" I asked as she let go.

"We'll be gone by 3:00 and be home by 9:00. Mira can go to the park by 4:30. Oh no… You don't know where the park is." She said, worriedly.

"Actually, Nori-nii and I passed it this morning." I said.

"That's good then." She said, relieved.

"Don't worry Kira-chan; I'll take care of Mira." I reassured her.

oOo

By 3:00 Kira and Nori had already left and by 4:30 Mira and I had left the house to go to the park. So here I am now in the park, watching my cousin's daughter play around. I was sitting on one of the park benches, facing the playground. In a few minutes we would be going home and since I promised Mira some ice cream, we have to stop by the ice cream shop for it. I stood up to call Mira and heard a familiar sound.

Pok… Pok… Pok…

_Sounds like… tennis. _I eventually gave in to my curiosity and walked towards Mira. "Mira-chan," I began as I knelt down in front of her. "Onee-chan's gonna be right back, okay?" The little girl just smiled brightly and nodded her head before running towards the slide.

I stood up and walked to where I last heard the sound. I looked back to check on Mira, before proceeding to search for where the sound came from. Unfortunately, finding that place means passing through some trees as it was found in the more woody part of the park. After passing through what seemed like a million trees, I stumbled upon a tennis court.

Pok… Pok… Pok…

Looking to my right, I saw a boy rallying with a wall. Walking a little bit closer, I realized that he was hitting the ball in the same spot over and over again. He was about my age with light brown hair and amber eyes behind glasses. He was too focused in rallying with the wall that he didn't notice me. That or the fact that the trees were covering me.

I just stood there and watched him. Powerful swings paired with amazing footwork made it seem like he could rally endlessly. I looked up at the sky and realized that it was almost dark.

…

_Mira!_ I quickly turned around and ran back to the playground. I sighed in relief when I saw her sitting on one of the swings.

"Mira-chan!" I shouted and waved. The little girl raised her head and jumped off the swing, running towards me. "Let's get some ice cream." I said as I held her hand.

"Hai." Mira beamed as we walked out of the park.

oOo

My eyes opened as I heard a Nori's car pull up on the drive. I looked at Mira who had fallen asleep beside me before slipping soundlessly out of bed and heading downstairs.

"Okaeri Kira-chan." I said as she entered the door.

"Haru-chan? You're still not asleep?" Kira asked.

I shook my head. "I was thinking of something." I replied.

"Tadaima Haru-chan." Nori said as he walked in and hung his coat by the door.

"Okaeri Nori-nii."

"You should go to sleep. Tomorrow's your first day of school, you know." He said as he headed towards the living room.

"Did Mira fell asleep in your bed?" Kira asked.

"Hai. Is it okay if she sleeps in my room tonight?" I asked.

"Sure. Oyasuminasai Haru-chan." Kira said.

"You as well Kira-chan." I said before climbing the stairs.

I entered my room and slipped under the covers. After securing it on Mira, I closed my eyes and willed sleep to take over me.

* * *

**Here's the 3****rd**** chapter! I'm very busy these past few days so I'm sorry if it took long. Thanks for those who waited for the update of this story and for those who followed it as well. Next chapter is gonna be about Chiharu's first day at school. Don't forget to leave a review. ~Krisia**


	4. First Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own POT.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Kriing… Kriing… Kri-

I woke up with a jolt, immediately sitting up and silencing my alarm clock. I looked at Mira who was sleeping beside me and noted that she wasn't disturbed by the alarm clock. Sighing, I lay back down again and closed my eyes. After half a minute, I opened them again and silently slipped out of bed. I opened my closet and searched for my uniform.

"Ohayo Nee-chan." I heard a small voice say, followed by a yawn.

Turning to the little girl on the bed, a small smile made its way to my face. "Ohayo Mira-chan." I greeted her, before grabbing the uniform and heading towards the conjoined bathroom. I emerged out of it a few minutes later wearing my Seishun Gakuen uniform which was a white blouse with green collar and cuffs and a dark green pleated skirt. My hair was tied back to a pony tail with the light blue ribbon that I had untied from the farewell gift my friends had given me. Mira clapped her hands as I spun around.

"Kawaii~" Mira said.

"Arigatou Mira-chan. But I still can't figure out what this is for." I said holding up a pink cloth before shrugging. "Now, are you hungry?" I asked the little girl.

"Hai!" She said before hopping off the bed and following me out of my room.

I could smell the aroma of our breakfast as the two of us went down the stairs. "Mmm… smells like bacon."

"Bacon!" Mira said as she jumped off the last step and skipped towards the kitchen.

I chuckled before entering the kitchen. "Ohayo~" I sang.

"Ohayo Haru-chan. Eh, where's your bow?" Kira asked after looking me over.

"Bow? You mean this?" I asked, holding up the pink cloth.

"Yup, that's the one. You tie it like this." She said as she took the cloth and tied it to a bow just under my collar.

"So that's how. Arigatou Kira-chan."

"No problem, Haru-chan. Now come on time to eat. Nori was called to work early so he won't be joining us. However, he did say that he hopes you have a good day at school Haru-chan."

"Aa, I hope so too."

oOo

I stood in front of the office, clutching my school bag nervously. I knocked on the door once… then twice.

"Do you need something, Chiharu?"

I squeaked and abruptly turned around to see a familiar face. "Ryuzaki-san?" I said as I stared at the same woman whom I had met in the airplane, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

Ryuzaki-san just chuckled at me before ushering me inside the office. "So let me guess… you're the new student." She said with one of her eyebrows raised, leaning on the table behind her.

Recovering from my shock, I smiled at her. "Hai. That would be me." I said. "Ryuzaki-sensei." I quickly added.

Ryuzaki-san chuckled. "Well I should have expected that you would be studying here since your father once did."

"Actually, I didn't know that this was Dad's school when he was in middle school." I said, smiling sheepishly at her. We both turned our attention to the door as a knock from it was heard.

"Come in." Ryuzaki-san said as I turned my body slightly to look at the door.

The door opened and I felt my eyes widen for the second time that day. There, standing at the doorway was the same boy I had seen yesterday, now wearing the Seishun Gakuen boy's school uniform.

"Ah Tezuka. Is there something you need?" I heard Ryuzaki-san say and immediately turned back to her. Her eyes looked at the boy, which I now knew by the name Tezuka, before going back to me, concern in her eyes.

I slightly shook my head and smiled. Her eyes left me and went back to Tezuka. My attention also went back to the bespectacled boy. My head turned lightly to the right to see him. I watched as he walked towards Ryuzaki-san, stopping just beside me as he handed her some papers.

"Yamato-buchou asked me to give these to you." His voice was monotone as he spoke, no emotion on his face.

My eyes looked back to Ryuzaki-san as she scanned through the papers. "Arigatou Tezuka. You may go now."

Tezuka bowed before turning around and exiting the room.

"You seemed to be surprised when Tezuka walked in. Do you know him?" Ryuzaki-san said as she set the papers down and looked at me curiously.

"I saw him at the park yesterday. He was playing tennis." I said, looking at the door and remembering his footwork and the way he gripped his racket. I hadn't noticed it at first but last night as I lay down on bed awake, I noticed that something just wasn't right.

"Chiharu?" Ryuzaki-san asked and I quickly turned to her.

"Gomen Ryuzaki-sensei. What was that?" I said.

"I asked about what you think of Tezuka." She said.

"He's… interesting." I said after some thought.

Ryuzaki-san laughed. "Is that so? Anyway, let's go and introduce you to your new classmates." She said as she picked up a paper on her table. "By the way, you're in Class 1-1. I'm your homeroom and math teacher and here's your schedule." She said as she gave me the paper before heading out of the office with me following closely behind.

We stopped in front of my new classroom and Ryuzaki-san asked me to stay behind as she calmed down the class.

"Okay class. We have a new student today." I heard Ryuzaki-san say and the class erupted in whispers. "Settle down. We don't want to scare the new student off now do we? Okay, you can come in now."

I opened the door and as I went in I could hear them whisper.

"She's a girl."

"She's kawaii ne~"

"I wonder what club she'll join."

"Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?" Ryuzaki-san said.

I nodded. "Hi, I'm Sakamoto Chiharu." I said, bowing.

"Okay. Your seat is by the window, next to Tezuka, the boy over there with the glasses. He'll also be your guide today." Ryuzaki-san said and I nodded.

I walked to my seat and sat down as Ryuzaki-san started discussing.

oOo

"Don't forget to review the lessons we have discussed for the quiz tomorrow. Are we clear?" Hayashi-sensei reminded as the bell rang, signaling the end of morning classes.

"Hai~"

Many students were already filing out of their classrooms and into the hallway, heading for the cafeteria, while some stayed behind.

"Hey!" A girl with lavender hair said, turning her chair around to face my table.

"Hi." I gave a polite smile before grabbing my bento from my bag.

"I'm Nakano Ayame." She said as her dark green eyes lit up with happiness.

"Pleased to meet you, Nakano-san." I said.

"Please, just Ayame would do." She said as she placed her bento on my table. "Mind if I eat with you?"

"Not at all." I said, opening my bento.

"Woah! It looks delicious!" Ayame said, as she stared at the bento Kira had prepared for me.

"You can have some if you want." I offered, pushing it to her direction.

"Really Chiharu-chan? That is if you don't mind me calling you that."

"On a condition… you share your bento with me." I said looking at her bento which also looked delicious.

"Deal!"

After we finished eating, Ayame started asking me questions, spouting some things about her as well as. _She reminds me of Trixie… Energetic, cheerful, talkative._ I smiled warmly at her as she talked.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" Ayame asked.

"You just remind me of someone I know." I said, slightly shaking my head.

"Ooh! Tell me! Tell me!" She said, slightly bouncing from her seat.

"Sakamoto-san." A monotonous voice said to my right.

I turned to the owner of the voice. "Tezuka-san." I said.

"It's time for your tour around the school." He said.

"Actually… I already toured myself around the school this morning. So it's okay. You can go back to whatever you do during lunch. I'm good." I said, smiling at him. He just nodded and walked out of the classroom. _To the tennis courts maybe._

"Tezuka-san's amazing." Ayame said and I looked at her. "He plays tennis you know. He's also very intelligent." She said.

"Is he always like that? I mean… you know…" I said, trailing off.

"If you mean emotionless, then yes." She said, giggling.

"I don't think he's emotionless, Aya-chan." I said, looking at Tezuka-san's seat.

"Aya-chan?" Ayame said, taken aback a bit.

"Oh sorry." I said.

"It's okay… but can I call you Haru-chan then?" She said, grinning.

"Sure." I beamed and we both giggled.

oOo

Afternoon class had been the same as morning class. Teachers would go in the classroom, notice me, ask my name then start discussing. Before I knew it, it had already been dismissal.

"Hey Haru-chan!" Ayame called me, turning around in her seat after the teacher had left.

I hummed lightly, letting her know that she had my attention as I fixed my things.

"I'm going to the tennis courts. Do you want to come?" She asked, standing up and grabbing her bag.

"Sure. I have nothing better to do anyway. But didn't Matsumoto-sensei say he wanted to see you after class?" I asked, standing up and slinging my bag on my shoulder.

"He did? I forgot about that." She said sheepishly. "Wait for me at the tennis courts. Hopefully this would only take a few minutes."

And in less than five minutes I found myself at the tennis courts, watching the players with mild interest.

"Haru-chan!" Ayame shouted as she ran towards me. "Gomen. Did I make you wait long?" She asked as she panted for breath.

"Not really." I said.

"Aya-chan! You here!" A guy with similar features to Ayame said, hugging her senseless. He was wearing a white and blue jacket with red linings on the cuffs and collar.

"N-nii-s-san… ca-can't… b-breath…" Ayame wheezed out and the guy had immediately let go and held her at arm's length.

"Gomen imouto!" He said, on the brink of tears, and started shaking her furiously. "Eh, who's she?" He said letting go of Ayame and pointing at me.

"She? Oh, she's my new friend, Sakamoto Chiharu. She transferred here today. Haru-chan, I want you to meet my brother, Nakano Haruto." She said and I bowed.

Nakano-sempai bounced over to me and started shaking my hand. "Nakano Haruto. I'm a 3rd year here. Pleased to meet you and welcome to Seigaku!" He beamed.

"A-arigatou, Nakano-sempai." I said.

"Imouto! I still have a match with Fukuzawa today so you go on ahead, okay?" He said, turning to Ayame.

"Nani? Demo, I thought-"

The sibling's conversation was shut out as my eyes had travelled to a familiar face inside the court. He was playing with an upperclassman, face still unreadable. I watched as he shot the ball to the far corner of the court, earning him a point. _Something's still wrong._

"He's good isn't he?" Nakano-sempai said as he stood beside me.

"He's amazing." Ayame said. "But still emotionless." She added.

"I told you Aya-chan. He's not emotionless." I said.

I watched Tezuka-san return to the baseline, starting his serve. _What are you hiding, Tezuka-san? _He tossed the ball up high and as his racket slammed the ball, I felt like time had stopped. My eyes travelled to his racket down to his right hand. Then, down again to his elbow. Then, to his right shoulder. I studied his form and his grip and my eyes widened in realization. _Can't be?_

"Sakamoto-chan?" Nakano-sempai asked.

"Haru-chan? What do you mean by can't be?" Ayame asked.

I snapped back to reality, realizing that I had spoken my thoughts aloud. "Huh? Oh it's nothing." I said, smiling.

"Are you sure?" Ayame asked.

"Yeah, I'm just a little thirsty. I'll go get a drink." I said.

"No. You stay, I'll go. Does Ponta sound good to you?" Ayame asked.

"Aa. Arigatou." I said and she skipped away.

"I'm impressed you noticed." Nakano-sempai said. _Does he know?_

"What are you talking about Sempai?" I said, playing clueless.

"Don't play the dumb card with me Sakamoto-chan." He pouted. "I know that you know exactly what I mean." He said.

I looked back to the stoic boy in glasses playing inside the courts.

"I know it's hard to believe that someone can do it, let alone someone as young as he is, but it's really possible you know." Nakano-sempai said, grinning at me.

I just looked at him and nodded slowly.

"Nii-san!" Ayame shouted as she came running towards us. "It's time for your match with Fukuzawa-sempai." She stopped in front of us, two sodas in hand.

"Oh yeah! Arigatou Imouto." Nakano-san said, giving his little sister a hug. "It's best if you don't mention it to anyone, Sakamoto-chan." He said, before jogging away.

"What was that about?" Ayame asked, handing me a Grape Ponta.

"Nothing much." I said, opening the can and taking a drink. I looked at Tezuka-san who was now clearly dominating the other player with a score of 4-0 and observed his play again. I watched as his opponent serve, only to have Tezuka-san return it out of his reach, scoring him a point. His opponent served again and as the ball neared him, time had stopped for me again. _He's playing with his right hand but it isn't his dominant hand. I'm sure my mind isn't playing tricks on me and Nakano-sempai had known of it as well but why would he play with his non-dominant hand if it isn't stronger?_

"Haru-chan? What are you looki- Oh!" Ayame said.

I turned to the violet head that had a grin that resembled a Cheshire cat's and raised an eyebrow. "What?" I asked.

"I didn't know you like that kind of guy." She said.

"Seriously Aya-chan. What are you talking about?" I asked her.

"Deny it all you want." She said, shrugging.

"Huh?" I asked. However, as I ran to catch up with her, my thoughts were still about him._ Tezuka-san. He was ambidextrous._

* * *

**Hiya Guys! I'm back with the fourth chapter! –bounces up and down- And on July 18 is my birthday so don't forget to sing "Happy birthday Krisia. Happy birthday Krisia. Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday Krisia." Yehey! Oh and thank you to Random.A.M and my friend for the tips they had given me. Leave a review will ya! Bye bye! ~Krisia**


	5. Tezuka What?

**Disclaimer: I do not own POT.**

* * *

Chapter 5

"Ne, ne, Haru-chan." Ayame said as she poked my arm.

"Nani?" I asked the violet head, closing my book.

"There's a new ice cream shop downtown. Let's go take a visit." She said.

"You're gonna keep bothering me until I say yes, aren't you?" I asked.

As a reply, she just grinned at me and nodded her head furiously.

I sighed. "Fine. " I said.

"Yay!" She squealed before turning her chair around as Ryuzaki-san went in.

"Good morning class!"

"Good morning sensei!"

"Okay, today-"

Ryuzaki-san's next words were shut out as I stared out the window. It had been two weeks since I had started school in Seigaku. Needless to say, Ayame had been dragging me around for the past few days after school. She would mostly drag me to the tennis courts and would leave me to find his brother. As a result, I would be watching my ever stoic seatmate play.

I had learned on my first day that Tezuka-san was ambidextrous and played with his non-dominant hand. I also learned that only a handful of people knew of it and had kept it a secret, two of them being me and Nakano Haruto, Ayame's older brother. The only question that remained on my mind was why.

"Sakamoto would you please answer the question on the board." Ryuzaki-san said.

My head snapped to the teacher in front. "Huh?" I heard a few snickers and giggles. I stood up and looked at the question on the board. "249." I answered.

"That is correct but please pay more attention to class." Ryuzaki-san said.

"Hai." I said and sat back down.

oOo

From the corner of my eye, I looked at the dark brown haired girl sitting beside me and noted that she wasn't listening.

"Sakamoto would you please answer the question on the board." Ryuzaki-sensei said.

"Huh?" I heard her say, followed by a few snickers and giggles from some people in the class.

I watched her stand up gracefully. She looked at the question on the board and answered with ease. "249."

"That is correct but please pay more attention to class." Ryuzaki-sensei said.

"Hai." She said and sat back down.

I watched her violet haired friend lean back and whisper something which she smiled sheepishly to.

It's not surprising that the two end up at the tennis courts at the end of the day. Nakano Ayame, the younger sister of Nakano Haruto, a regular of the school's tennis team always drops by with her best friend Sakamoto Chiharu. What was surprising was that Sakamoto-san had been watching all my matches. She would be on the other side of the fence watching my every move. I would always notice her at the corner of my eye, never taking her eyes off me. The only time she would was when Nakano-sempai would bound to her and hug her or in my opinion glomp her. She and her friend would leave after waving goodbye to him and then I would see her the next day.

"Okay that's all for today. I want all of you to study for the quiz tomorrow okay?" Ryuzaki-sensei said, bringing me out of my semi-aware state.

"Hai~"

oOo

"I'm home!" I said as I entered the house.

"Welcome back Haru-chan." Kira said from the living room.

After slipping out of my shoes, I headed to the living room. As I entered, a dark-green haired little girl with silver eyes wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Okaeri Nee-chan!" She beamed.

"Mira-chan." I said and noticed from the corner of my eye that other than from Kira and Mira there was another female in the room.

Kira noticed me looking at her. "Haru-chan this is Ayane-san. She lives next to us." Kira introduced her.

I smiled at the woman and bowed. "I'm Sakamoto Chiharu. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you as well Chiharu." She said, smiling.

"Ayane-san and her family are dining with us on Friday night. Her husband, Kuniharu, and Nori are business partners." Kira explained.

"Yes, we were actually thinking of some recipes for Friday night." She said.

"Oh, well-"

"Nee-chan?" Mira said as she looked up to me. "What's in your pocket?"

"Huh? Oh I almost forgot." I said as I pulled out a small little pink doll out of my pocket. "I saw this in one of the shops that we passed and I immediately thought of you." I said, handing her the doll.

She took it gleefully and hugged me again. "Arigatou Nee-chan!" She beamed.

"Well, I should really be going. Kunimitsu must be home by now." Ayane-san said as she stood up from the couch.

"Then let me see you to the door." Kira said, rising from the couch as well.

"It was nice meeting you Chiharu." Ayane-san said.

"You as well Ayane-san." I said.

She gave me a gentle smile and a nod before following Kira out of the room.

oOo

_Kunimitsu. Where have I heard that name before? _I racked my brain for that one name after my encounter with Ayane-san, which had been four days ago. _Kunimitsu. _Today was Friday and so tonight would be the dinner with her family. _Kunimitsu. Kunimitsu. Kunimitsu._

"Haru-chan!" Ayame shouted.

"Huh? What?" I said, snapping my head to her.

"Classes are already done." She informed me. "You've been staring out the window the whole last period. Be thankful Matsumoto-sensei didn't say anything about it." She said.

"Sorry. My minds a little preoccupied about something." I said sheepishly as I gathered my things.

"Something or someone?" She said, Cheshire grin on her face.

"Huh?" I said, confused.

"Nothing!" She said.

"Aya-chan." I called her attention.

"Hmm?" She hummed lightly, letting me know she was listening.

"Do you know someone named Kunimitsu?" I asked her after a moment's hesitation.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." She turned to me and gave me a sly grin.

"Really? From where?" I asked her, happy that I would finally know the answer to the thought that had occupied my mind these past few days.

Her grin turned to a frown. "Seriously Haru-chan? You've been here for two weeks and you don't know his first name?" She asked me.

"Huh? Is he in our school?" I asked her.

She looked at me. "Seriously?"

"Yes. I've been thinking about that name for four days you know. I know I've heard it somewhere before but I just couldn't remember where." I said.

"Gosh Haru-chan. Kunimitsu? Tezuka? Tezuka Kunimitsu? Now does that ring a bell?" She said as she gave me an exasperated look.

"Tezuka… Kunimitsu…" I said slowly. "What!?" I yelled. Thank heavens that it was only the two of us left in the classroom. "I- M-my- I-I… Oh God." I said as I collapsed on my seat.

"Why were you asking anyway?" She asked, perplexity written on her face.

I took a deep breath. "Remember when I told you that 4 days ago I had met Ayane-san?" I asked her.

"Uh-huh." She nodded. "Tonight's the night that her family is joining yours for dinner right? What about it?"

"Well, Ayane-san said that she needed to go home already because she said that _Kunimitsu_ must be home that time." I said, putting emphasis on the name Kunimitsu.

"So that means…" Ayame trailed off, looking at me and I nodded. "Does Tezuka-san know anything about this?" She asked me.

"I… I don't know." I said after thinking.

"Let's go ask him then." She said and shrugged.

"What?"

"I said let's go ask him. Come on." She said again and grabbed my hand.

oOo

"Game, set and match. Tezuka. 6 games to love."

I walked out of the tennis courts, leaving a fuming sempai inside and headed to the water fountains.

"Tezuka-san!"

I turned around to see a certain violet-head, dragging a brunette, as she ran towards me.

They stopped in front of me with Nakano-san bending over and panting for breath.

"Tezuka-san… did… you… know…" She tried to ask in between pants. "You ask him Haru-chan." She finally wheezed out.

"Tezuka-san, we just wanted to know if-" She started but stopped as she fished out her phone from her pocket.

"Hello." She said as she brought it close to her ear.

"Who is it Haru-chan?" Nakano-san, who was now sitting on the ground, asked.

The brunette paused for a while, listening to the incoherent voice from the other line.

"Ah, Kira-chan. Is something wrong?" She said and I felt my eyes widen for a fraction of a second.

_Kira… Sakamoto Kira… Sakamoto Chiharu._ Sakamoto's first name is Chiharu. I swore I've heard that name before and the answer had been sitting beside me in class all this time.

"No need Kira-chan, I already did." She said, taking a glance at me. She paused for a while before looking at me again.

"Okay." She said hesitantly and handed me the phone.

I looked at her before taking the phone and bringing it close to my ear.

"Hello." I said.

"Ah Kunimitsu! So you already know Chiharu right?" I heard my mother say from the other line.

"Hai." I responded.

"Well, I want you to walk her home. Is that okay?" She said.

"Hai." I said.

"Thank you. Now, can you give her back the phone? I want to talk to her." She said.

I wordlessly gave back the phone to the brunette and once again she brought it close to her ear.

"Hello." She said. A pause. "Ah, Ayane-san!" She exclaimed. Another pause. "Are you sure? I mean-" Another one. She bit her lip. "Goodbye." She said, ending the call.

She looked at me. "I'll go get my bag." She said and I nodded.

"Come on Aya-chan." She said and helped her friend up.

"We're going back up again!?" The girl asked in disbelief.

"Yes then back down again." She said.

"But I don't want to!" The violet-head whined and was dragged away.

oOo

"Ne, Tezuka-san." Sakamoto-san said as we walked.

I looked at her. She kept her eyes forward.

"Why is it that I don't see you walking to school in the morning?" She asked.

I looked back in front of me. "Tennis practice." I simply said.

"You have morning practices?" She asked.

"Aa." I said.

"Oh." She said and a moment of silence followed.

I looked at her from the corner of my eye. _She's spacing out. _I looked ahead of her and saw a pole.

"Sakamoto-san." I called her. She didn't respond. She just kept walking, oblivious to the pole she was heading to.

"Sakamoto-san." I tried again, a little bit louder. Still no response. A few more steps and she's going to get a bump on her forehead.

"Chiharu." I blurted out, unintentionally.

"Huh? What?" She snapped out of her reverie and noticed the pole. Her eyes widened and she quickly sidestepped and curved her body to avoid it.

"Arigatou Tezuka-san." She said.

I nodded. _She doesn't seem to mind. _I turned back to the street in front of me.

"Why do you play with your right hand if it isn't your dominant hand?" She asked.

I turned around to see her looking at a sports shop. Specifically, at a tennis racket. _She knows._ She looked at me and then she quickly looked away.

"Sorry, you don't need to answer that." She said.

"I want to test myself." I said. She looked at me. "I want to know how far I can push myself until I reach my limit." I looked at her in the eye. "And if possible, I want to surpass that limitation." I said.

She blinked. Then, she smiled.

oOo

I entered the house and went straight to my room. I threw myself on the bed and closed my eyes. A sigh escaped my lips as I remembered what happened earlier.

**_Flashback…_**

**_A tennis racket caught my sight as we were passing a sports shop and I stopped walking._**

**_"Why do you play with your right hand if it isn't your dominant hand?" I asked._**

**_I stared at the tennis racket for a brief second before I realized what I just asked. I looked in front of me. Tezuka-san was looking at me but I quickly looked away._**

**_"Sorry, you don't need to answer that." I said. _**_You just have to ask that question. Nice going Chiharu._

**_"I want to test myself." I heard him say. I looked at him. "I want to know how far I can push myself until I reach my limit." He looked me in the eyes but this time I didn't look away. "And if possible, I want to surpass that limitation." He said and at that very moment I was mesmerized by the pair of amber eyes behind those glasses. I was drawn in to them, into the passion that they held. And as I remembered what my grandma once told me, I smiled._**

**_End of Flashback…_**

"The quiet people have the loudest minds." I muttered. _You were right Grandma. _I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. _And I was lucky enough to hear from one of them._

"Haru-chan?" I heard my cousin say from the other side of the door.

I got up from bed and opened the door. "Nori-nii." I said.

"That's weird. I didn't hear you come in." He said as he went in. "Thinking about something?" He asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Kind of." I said as I closed the door.

He patted the spot next to him. "Let's talk about it if it's bothering you so much." He said.

I sat down beside him but kept quiet.

"Not saying anything huh?" He said, taking my silence as a challenge.

I pursed my lips and shook my head.

"Thought so." He smirked.

And the next second, my back had hit the bed and I was being tickled mercilessly.

"Stop… it… N-nori-nii." I said in between laughs and giggles but he still didn't stop. "O-okay… i-it's… abo-about… Tezuka-san." I said.

He stopped. "Which Tezuka are we talking about here?" He asked, lying down beside me.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu. Why?" I asked.

"Because there are four of them downstairs. So anyway, what about Kunimitsu? You like him or something?" He asked.

"No." I answered.

"Then what is it?" He asked.

"He plays tennis." I said, staring at the ceiling.

"He does?"

I nodded. "And he's ambidextrous."

"He is?" He asked as he sat up. "Hmm… talented kid."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"So he plays tennis and he's ambidextrous. Anything else?" He asked and I opened my eyes.

"Nope. Nothing else." I said and sat up.

"Well if there's nothing else then go change your clothes. Dinner's about done." He said and kissed my forehead. He moved towards the door and opened it.

I got up from bed and headed towards my closet.

"And Haru-chan." Nori called me.

"Hmm?" I hummed and stopped rummaging through my closet to look at him.

"Remember." He said. "Life _is_ a series of natural and spontaneous events. Anything can happen." He smiled and closed the door.

oOo

I sat on one of the couches in Sakamoto's living room, watching a little dark-green haired little girl play with her doll.

"Mira." Nori-san said.

The little girl looked up and bounded to her father, who sat her on his lap.

"Sorry for the wait. I was checking up on my cousin." He said to my father and my grandfather.

"Cousin?" My father said.

"Yes, she just got home. From what I remember she's Kunimitsu's classmate." He said.

"Really?" My father said.

"Strange I didn't hear anyone come in." My grandfather said.

"Well my cousin has the tendency to space out when she's thinking about something. She must have been spacing out when she got home." Nori-san said with a smile.

"This cousin of yours is intriguing." My father said with a chuckle.

"Does she do it in school?" My grandfather asked.

"If she does, it doesn't show by her grades." Nori-san answered.

"Her standing last year?" My father asked him.

"Top of the batch." He answered.

"Plays a sport?" My grandfather asked.

Nori-san smiled and nodded, making me raise an eyebrow.

"Nee-chan!" The little girl suddenly beamed and climbed down from her father's lap. She ran towards the brunette who was standing by the doorway and hugged her around the waist.

Sakamoto giggled. "Mira-chan." She said.

"Ah Haru-chan! We were just talking about you. This is Kunikazu-san and Kuniharu-san. Kunimitsu's grandfather and father." Nori-san said.

She bowed. "It's nice to meet you." She said to which they both nodded to.

"Kira-chan says dinner is ready." She said.

"Well then, shall we eat?" Nori-san asked, standing up.

oOo

"I know, why don't they walk home together?" Kira suggested.

The dinner had gone uneventful with Nori and Kuniharu-san talking about business while Kira and Ayane-san talked about their recipes. However, for some reason the topic had gone from business and recipes to Tezuka and me.

Ayane-san nodded. "But if they're going to walk home together don't you think they should walk to school together as well?" She said.

"Are you okay with that Kunimitsu?" Kira asked the boy sitting across me.

"Hai." He answered.

"Actually it's Chiharu we should be asking. Seeing that Kunimitsu has morning and afternoon practices, Chiharu would wake up early to walk to school with him and wait for him to walk home." Kuniharu-san said.

"I'm sure it's okay with her. Right?" Nori said, looking at me.

"I don't mind." I said and felt a tug on my sleeve.

"Nee-chan." Mira muttered as I looked at her. Her eyes were droopy and she tried to keep them open.

"Excuse me." I said, standing up. "I'll just take Mira upstairs." I said and picked up the little girl.

I carried her to my room and gently set her down on my bed. After covering her with a blanket I went downstairs to see that the Tezuka family had already left. I entered the living room to see Nori watching TV.

"You know I just noticed." He said, never taking his eyes of the screen. He was watching a replay of an old baseball game, sometime in the 1980's.

"Noticed what?" I asked as I sat down beside him.

"You and Kunimitsu didn't talk much this evening." He said.

"We didn't talk at all." I said.

"Exactly. Why?" He asked, finally looking at me.

"Well Tezuka-san _is_ a hard person to strike a conversation with." I said.

"Tezuka-san? Why not Kunimitsu?" He asked.

"I got used to it. Plus, don't you think it would be strange if my classmates would hear me call him that?" I said.

"Not if you're neighbors and friends." He said.

"Well yeah… but still… it sounds… weird." I said.

He chuckled. "Okay, okay, it sounds weird. Now get to sleep, it's already late." He said.

"Eh? But there's no school tomorrow." I whined.

"Even though, you should rest." He said.

I sighed. "Fine." I said and stood up.

"Night." He called out to me.

"Night." I said before going upstairs and entering my room.

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, it was exam week and I had to study hard. Anyway, please tell me if Tezuka's POV was alright. Oh and thanks to angelg0722, Gwendolyn Haze, random.A.M, and RockPrinces410 for their reviews. J Don't forget to leave a review. :D ~Krisia**


	6. Pillar of Support

**Disclaimer: I do not own POT.**

* * *

Chapter 6

I sat on my chair in my now deserted classroom, tapping my pen to a beat that had popped in my mind just a while ago. Ayame had been long gone talking about eating ice cream cakes in a nearby shop. I sighed. The weekend had passed by in a blur and as said I had gotten up early in the morning to see Tezuka waiting by the gate of our house. I sighed again and stood up from my seat. I went out of my classroom and headed to the direction of the tennis courts. _I haven't been to the tennis courts this week. Might as well see what's going on there._

As I reached the tennis courts, I felt a sudden weight and two arms wrap around me.

"Sakamoto-chan!" Nakano-sempai said.

"Sempai." I said.

"So how did the dinner go with Tezuka?" He asked, letting me go and giving me a sly grin.

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "How did you… Aya-chan told you didn't she?"

He laughed nervously. "Well I kinda forced it out of her after I saw you two walking home together last Friday." He explained.

I sighed.

"So… how did it go?" He asked again.

"It was ok, I guess. My cousin and his parents decided that we should walk to school together and walk home together as well." I said as we continued walking.

"Oh so that's why you're still here." He said and I nodded.

"Oh look it's… Tezuka." Nakano-sempai said.

I followed his line of gaze and my eyes widened. True enough, Tezuka was there… on the ground with a furious upperclassman in front of him, gripping a tennis racket as if he wanted to stab him with it. I started walking to their direction but Nakano-sempai's hand caught my arm.

"You'll only be caught in the trouble." Nakano-sempai said, the usual cheerfulness in his eyes and tone gone.

"But-"

"This bastard, he's a lefty and he was playing us with his right hand." My head snapped to their direction and my eyes widened. _How did he know?_ "He says that he doesn't need to use his left hand against us." The upperclassman said.

"I don't care if he's a lousy grade school champion. He's underestimating our club!" He shouted.

Tezuka stood up. "I can't take this anymore!" The upperclassman shouted. "If you're not going to use that left hand… I'll break it!" And with that, he brought up his racket and smashed it to Tezuka's elbow.

"Yamato." I heard Nakano-sempai say but was too horrified at the scene just a few meters away to see who he was talking to.

"Nakano, you know bees are bad for our ears." A voice said before my ears were covered by a pair of hands.

I saw Tezuka take hold of the racket and shout something to the upperclassman before walking away. I tried to pry the hands of my ears but they were removed before I even had the chance. I felt someone brush past me and I looked up to see an upperclassman with blue hair and black tinted glasses enter the courts.

I moved to follow him but Nakano-sempai put a hand on my shoulder. "Let Yamato take care of it." He said sternly.

I looked down and nodded.

"Looks like it'll be 100 laps. Everyone's in this." The blue-head said. "All right people if you don't run fast enough it's going to get dark." He said as he clapped his hands and the members started running without protest.

"He's the captain isn't he?" I asked the violet-head beside me.

He nodded.

_The captain of the Seigaku Tennis Club._ I looked at him as he talked with Tezuka. Then after a while Tezuka started running as well. _Why is he running? He's the victim._

Tezuka passed by us and our eyes met for a brief second. The passion in his eyes was replaced by anger and disappointment and I didn't like it. Just then a guy with black hair blocked his way.

"Don't quit just because of a small matter like this. Tezuka-kun, if you're quitting, I'm… also quitting!" He shouted.

I looked at Nakano-sempai. "What does he mean by he's quitting, Sempai?"

"Tezuka said that he would rather quit than to play in a club where someone uses a racket to hurt others." He said solemnly and my eyes widened again. "Yamato covered your ears when he said it. That's why you didn't hear."

I looked back to see the captain talking to Tezuka. "Kunimitsu…" I whispered.

"I want you to become Seigaku Tennis Club's pillar of support." It was faint but I heard the captain say it.

"Pillar of support." I muttered.

"Pillar of support?" Nakano-sempai asked.

I nodded. "That's what he said. He said he wanted him to be Seigaku Tennis Club's pillar of support." I said.

"That means Yamato expects many great things from him." Nakano-sempai said.

I nodded and looked at his left elbow. _But how far is he gonna push himself to become Seigaku Tennis Club's pillar of support?_

oOo

"Does is still hurt?" The brunette beside me asked.

"Iie." I said. It was true. The pain had subsided sometime during the laps.

"Do you still plan on quitting?" She asked me.

I looked at her. I've only known this girl for a few weeks and right now she's the only one who knows so much about me. She looked at me. I held her gaze for a few minutes before breaking it to look back in front of me.

"I don't know." I answered. _And she's also the only one who can get you to talk this much in a conversation._

"Do you plan on telling Ayane-san?" She asked and I looked at her again. "I'm not telling anyone if you don't want me to." She added.

"I don't want them to worry." I said and she nodded.

"I understand." She said.

oOo

I looked at my watch for the umpteenth time before sighing. _Where is he?_ I looked up to see the sky turning bright orange. I sighed again and made my way to the tennis courts.

I had woken up early in the morning in hopes that Kunimitsu would practice and to my surprise he did. _I guess Yamato-sempai's words got into him._

I turned around the corner and bumped into something, causing me to fall backwards.

"Ah, gomen." I heard a voice say and looked up to see Yamato-sempai reaching out his hand.

I took his hand and he helped me up. "Gomenasai." I bowed.

"Hmm… you're that girl from yesterday." He stated.

"Ah, hai. I'm Sakamoto Chiharu." I said and bowed again.

"Well what are you still doing here Sakamoto?" He asked.

"Eto… I was looking for Ku- I mean Tezuka-san." I said.

"Tezuka-kun? Why is that?" He asked.

"We walk home together, Sempai." I said.

"Is that so? Well, let's go find him then." He said and started walking.

"Ah, hai." I said and followed him to the courts.

"Hmm… no one seems to be here and I've already checked the changing rooms as well." He said after a few minutes of searching.

Pok… Pok… Pok…

I looked to where the sound was coming from. "Sempai, is there a court at that part of the school?" I asked and pointed to the woody part of the school.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes there is. Why?" He asked.

"I can hear someone playing." I said and started walking to the direction of the sound.

"You can hear someone playing?" He asked as he followed me.

"Hai." I answered.

After passing a few more trees my eyes widened. Just like what Yamato-sempai said, there was a tennis court but that wasn't all. Inside the tennis court was Kunimitsu playing against a boy with brown hair, using his left hand. The boy shot the ball to the corner of the court and Kunimitsu tried to return it only to flinch and have his racket fly out of his hands. My hands curled into fists.

"Tezuka-kun's losing." Yamato-sempai said.

I turned around. "Arigatou Sempai, for helping me find him. I'll just wait by the gate." I said and quickly walked away from the court.

oOo

"You saw the match." I stated as I walked home with the brunette. I didn't miss the way her hand gripped her school bag tighter.

"How did you know?" She asked, relaxing her hand, loosening her grip on her bag.

"I saw your hair." I said. "Just like that time in the park."

Her eyes widened before she looked away. "Why?" She asked.

"He knew I was a lefty and he asked to play with me using my left hand." I answered.

"Didn't he know you were injured?" She asked.

"Iie. He didn't. He wanted to play with me using my full potential and he was looking forward to it-"

"But that still doesn't give you the excuse to go out there and risk your arm!" She snapped and I turned around to look at her with wide eyes.

Her eyes widened. "Gomen." She said and looked down. She walked towards me and put a hand on my injured elbow. She sighed. "You shouldn't have played that match Kunimitsu." She said, before walking past me.

"I promised him." I said and she stopped walking. I turned around to look at her. Her back was facing me. "I promised him, Chiharu." I said.

"What promise?" She asked and turned around to look at me.

"I promised him that when my arms fully healed I'd play a match with him." I said. "And I'm going to do whatever it takes to fulfill that promise." I walked towards her. "I'm going to be Seigaku Tennis Club's pillar of support and lead Seigaku to the Nationals." I stated.

She sighed. "Then take care of that elbow of yours." She said with a small smile.

I blinked and she turned around and started walking, leaving me to wonder how her mind worked. _Was she really angry? Or did she just do that to hear me say those words?_

* * *

**Chapter 6! And my sister is babbling away about her miserable childhood… Anyway, found out the results of my exams and may I just say that Social Studies is really my worst subject. -_- Any who, THANKS to the following persons:**

**RockPrincess410****, ****random.A.M,**** and **

**Okie, Please leave a review! :) ~Krisia**


	7. Once Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own POT.**

* * *

Chapter 7

"Haru-chan, ohayo." Ayame greeted.

"Ah ohayo Aya-chan. Are you feeling better?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Uh-huh." She said as she dropped her bag on her table. "Oh and thanks for the notes yesterday." She said and smiled before sitting down.

I nodded before taking a glance at the seat beside me. _He's still at tennis practice. _I smiled. It's been a week since Kunimitsu had been injured and as the days passed by Kunimitsu had been more motivated and dedicated to tennis practice. He had also developed a friendship with some members of the tennis club like Oishi Souichirou and Fuji Syuuske. _I have no doubt that those three are going to lead Seigaku to the Nationals._

"Uh-oh."

I looked at Ayame. "Something wrong?"

"I kind of packed Nii-san's jacket in my bag." She said sheepishly as she held up the blue, white, and red jacket. "Can you come with me to the tennis courts after school to give it back?" She asked.

"Sure."

oOo

"Are you still going to the cake shop later?" I asked Ayame as we walked to the tennis courts.

"Nope. I plan on going home early to study for the Math quiz tomorrow." She said.

I nodded.

When we arrived at the tennis courts, Ayame skipped to the blue haired captain.

"Yamato-sempai, konichiwa." She greeted.

"Konichiwa Ayame. Are you looking for your brother?" He asked.

Ayame nodded. "I accidently packed his jacket in my bag." She said, showing him the said jacket.

"Oh, is that so? Well he's playing against Tezuka-kun on Court A." He said and looked at me with a smile.

"Arigatou." Ayame said and bowed.

I bowed as well and smiled before following Ayame.

She opened the gate to the courts.

"Are you sure we can go in?" I asked.

"Of course." She said.

I followed behind her just as Nakano-sempai and Kunimitsu reached their match point.

"BURNING!"

I looked ahead to see a brunette who was playing with Fuji-san. He waved his racket around.

"BURNING!" He shouted. _Am I imagining things or is that fire in the background?_

I looked back to Nakano-sempai and Kunimitsu's game just as the latter performed a drop-shot, with the former not being able to reach it, earning him a point.

"Game, set, and match. Tezuka. 6 games to 3."

"You beat me again Tezuka-kun." Nakano-sempai said as he walked towards the net and stuck out his hand.

Kunimitsu, who was already in front of the net, shook his hand. "Thank you for the match Nakano-sempai." He said.

"Nii-san." Ayame sang.

"Imouto!" Nakano-sempai said and launched himself to his sister, dropping his racket on the ground.

I picked up the racket and looked at Kunimitsu before looking at Nakano-sempai who was hugging his sister.

"What are you doing here Imouto?" The older sibling asked, letting go.

As a response, Ayame held up his jacket.

"Oh! You got my jacket!" He said as Ayame handed him his jacket.

"LOOK OUT!"

My head snapped to the right and I saw a tennis ball flying fast to our direction. I acted on reflex and quickly intercepted the shot using Nakano-sempai's racket. _It's not only fast but powerful as well. _I felt the racket shake under the pressure and I gripped it tighter. _I can't return it._

Suddenly another racket went behind the one I was holding and I looked beside me to see Kunimitsu. He nodded, putting his other hand on his racket for a double forehand return.

I nodded as well and did the same. I took a deep breath. _One… Two…_

"Three." I whispered and felt his racket push the one I was holding.

The ball bounced before whizzing past the courts and hitting the fence with a loud clang. It kept on spinning until it broke the fence and disappear in the woody part of the school.

"That was… AMAZING!"

I turned around just as Ayame hugged me.

"That was amazing Haru-chan!" She shouted and let go.

"Sakamoto-chan you never told me you were like Tezuka-kun." Nakano-sempai whined.

"Gomen Sempai but you never really did ask if I played tennis or not." I said.

"Not that, I mean that!" He shouted, pointing to the racket in my hand.

"What do you mean Sempai?" I asked as I lifted my hand that held the racket.

"Wait a minute!" Ayame shouted. "You're not a lefty, you're right-handed!" She shouted before looking at Kunimitsu. "And Tezuka-san's not right-handed, he's a lefty!" She screamed.

I blinked and looked at my hand. I hadn't even noticed that I was using my left hand. I looked at Ayame. _Wait, didn't she know that Kunimitsu's ambidextrous? The news is all over the school ever since he got injured._

"How… when… where… what?" Ayame said, alternately pointing between me and Kunimitsu. She fell backwards and was caught by her brother. "My head hurts." She muttered.

"Are you okay Sakamoto-san?" Oishi-san asked as he came towards us.

"Hai." I said.

"A-ano g-gomen." I heard a timid voice say.

I turned around to see Fuji-san along with the same brunette who was waving his racket around earlier and raised an eyebrow. _No way he's the one who shot that._ "Ah it's okay." I said.

"Well good job you two." A voice said as a hand rested on my shoulder.

I looked up to see Yamato-sempai. "But it seems that your little exhibit attracted an audience." He said.

I looked over my shoulder to see that some people had gathered themselves outside the courts. Looking around, I saw that the members had also stopped what they were doing to watch us. My eyes stopped to a woman outside the court. She caught my eye and smiled.

"Oi! Why are you all slacking around!? Go back to practice or you'll be running laps!" Ryuzaki-san hollered as she entered the courts.

"Hai~"

She walked towards us and clicked here tongue. "It seems like you caused a little bit of distraction here." She said.

"Gomenasai Ryuzaki-sensei." We first years, minus Ayame who was still being supported by her brother, chorused and bowed.

"Kawamura." She called out.

"H-hai, Sensei?" The timid guy said.

"You, Fuji, Tezuka, and Oishi will help clean up the courts after club. Is that clear?" She said.

"Hai." The four chorused before Ayame and me were ushered out of the courts.

oOo

"Split-personality?" Chiharu asked.

We were walking home when she had brought up the question which Fuji and Oishi, who was walking home with us, explained.

Oishi nodded. "He has a very unique personality." He said. "When he's not holding a racket he's shy and timid but when he holds one it's like he's a completely different person." He continued.

"Saa, I think he's just more confident with a racket." Fuji said.

Chiharu nodded.

"Sakamoto-san, how long have you played tennis?" Oishi asked but she didn't answer.

"Sakamoto-san." Fuji called her but she remained silent.

"Chiharu." I said.

"Huh?" She said snapping to reality. "Did one of you say something?" She asked.

Fuji looked at me before looking at her. "Oishi asked how long you've been playing tennis." He said.

"Oh. Um, 8 years?" She said uncertainly.

"8 years?" Oishi asked.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that I've been playing tennis for as long as I can remember. Though what happened earlier was the first time I've held a tennis racket for 6 months." She said.

I raised an eyebrow and looked at her. _6 months?_

"Why did you stop Sakamoto-san?" Oishi asked.

"When my Grandmother grew ill, I stopped playing tennis to take care of her." She said.

"How is she now?" Oishi asked.

_Wrong question Oishi._ After the dinner with her weeks ago, family my mother and father had discussed why she had moved here and being one of the reasons, the topic about her grandmother had come up. However, I never knew that she had stopped playing tennis for 6 months for the same reason.

"I don't know. I just hope she's happy, wherever she is right now." She said and the two had immediately got the point.

"I'm sorry." Oishi apologized.

"It's okay." She said and smiled.

"Sakamoto-san. Have you ever thought about going back to playing tennis?" He asked.

"Yup but I never really had a chance to play. Not to mention anyone to play with." She said.

"Then how about the four of us play tomorrow? Tomorrow is a weekend." Fuji said.

"Really?" She asked and Fuji nodded. "I'd love to." She beamed.

"You coming Oishi?" Chiharu asked.

"Sure." Oishi said.

"Saa, how about you Tezuka?" Fuji asked.

I looked at Fuji before looking in front of me. "Aa." I said.

"Well this is my stop. Ja ne." Oishi said, as he waved goodbye.

We kept on walking before Fuji also waved goodbye.

"Kunimitsu." Chiharu started. "Thanks, for earlier." She said.

I nodded and a moment of silence followed.

"Wait a minute. You knew I played tennis didn't you? You weren't even surprised when I caught that shot." She said, her eyes wide, looking at me.

I looked at her.

"How?" She asked.

"Nori-san mentioned you play a sport. Also, that picture of you holding a racket in your living room." I said.

"Oh… That." She said before starting to space out.

I mentally sighed. _She's doing it again._

* * *

**Hey guys! I'm baaack. Haha, anyways thanks to the following persons: **

**Random.A.M****, ****RockPrincess410****, and ****Gwendolyn Haze**

**Leave a review! :D ~Krisia**


	8. Playing for Fun

**Disclaimer: I do not own POT.**

* * *

**Summary:Through thick and thin, in every victory and in every defeat, they stood by each other. When one falls, the other picks up. Life was both could attest to that. However in the midst of all those hardships, they stood by each other. Tezuka/OC Read how a girl became special to Tezuka Kunimitsu.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"Haru-chan." I heard Kira say from the other side of the door.

"You can come in Kira-chan." I said, tying my hair in front of the mirror.

She opened the door and came in, followed by a bouncing Mira.

"Nee-chan." Mira said as she hugged me.

I finished tying my hair and picked her up.

"Well you look sporty today." Kira said as she looked at me from head to toe.

I was wearing a white polo shirt, a purple skirt with short and a light blue wristband was on my right hand. I was also wearing the necklace Leah had given me for my birthday. It was a simple necklace with my birthstone, amethyst, as a pendant.

"Pretty." Mira said as she stared at my necklace.

"Plan on doing something?" Kira asked.

I looked at her and smiled. "Tennis." I said.

"With Kunimitsu?" She asked.

"Hai." I said slowly.

"With Fuji-kun and Oishi-kun as well right?" She asked.

My eyes widened. "How did you- Are you psychic or something Kira-chan?" I asked, wondering if what Trixie had told me years ago about ESPs being real were true.

She chuckled. "They're waiting for you downstairs." She said.

"Oh."

"I'll tell them you'll be down in a moment." She said, before going out of the room.

I looked at Mira and smiled before setting her down and walking towards the corner of my room where my tennis bag was. After checking that everything I needed was inside the bag, I slung it over my shoulder and turned to Mira. She was looking up at me, head tilted to the side. I ruffled her hair before opening the door and going downstairs. I entered the living room to see Kunimitsu sitting on one of the couches and Fuji-san and Oishi-san sitting on the other.

"Mitsu-nii." Mira beamed before climbing up the said boy's lap.

"Saa, I didn't know Tezuka has a soft spot for children." Fuji-san said.

Kunimitsu glared at him and I stifled a giggle while Oishi-san sat there, mouth slightly agape.

"Mira." I called the little girl.

Mira looked at me before climbing down from Kunimitsu's lap and hugging me around the waist.

"Haru-chan, don't you think you should be going?" Kira said as she entered the living room.

I nodded and the three stood up.

"It was nice meeting you Oishi-kun, Fuji-kun." She said and the said boys nodded before she and Mira went out of the room.

"Where are you going?" A groggy voice said as we were putting on our shoes.

We all looked at the foot of the stairs where my cousin was, hair and clothes in disarray.

"Tennis." I simply said.

"Oh, ok. Just be back before midnight." He said before yawning and going back upstairs.

The three of them looked at me.

"He'll realize what he said in a few minutes." I said before ushering them out of the house.

oOo

I looked at Chiharu as the train was moving forward. She was excited, I could tell.

"So, where are we going anyway?" She asked.

"Saa, we'll get off at the next station. A few meters from there are some tennis courts." Fuji said.

"Oh." She said before looking out of the window.

We got off at the next station and as Fuji had said, not far from the station were some tennis courts.

"Saa, how about you go first Sakamoto-san? After all, you haven't played tennis for 6 months." Fuji suggested as we went in one of the farthest tennis court.

"Okay. Who am I playing against?" She asked.

"I'll play." Oishi spoke up, holding his black racket.

"I'll be the umpire." Fuji said as Chiharu got out a cobalt blue racket.

I stood beside the umpire's chair as the two of them did a few warm ups before meeting at the net.

"Rough or smooth?"Oishi asked.

"Rough." Chiharu answered before Oishi spun his racket.

The racket landed on the rough side and Chiharu shook hands with Oishi.

"1 set match. Sakamoto versus Oishi."

Chiharu positioned herself at the baseline. She threw the ball up in the air and slammed it with her racket.

oOo

"Fault."

_Focus Chiharu._ I positioned myself at the baseline and took a deep breath. I threw the ball upwards.

**_"Keep your racket closed. Not too much, it'll hit the net. Just like… that."_**

" -15."

**_"The ball didn't hit the center of your racket Chiharu. Also, your grip's a little loose. You're nervous as well. Just relax. Don't mind the people watching or what will happen if you lose, just play Chiharu. Play for fun."_**

_Play for fun. Not for the sake of people knowing that you can and you're good. Just… play. Play because you love and enjoy the game._ I positioned myself at the baseline as I kept repeating my Dad's words in my head. I tentatively touched my necklace before grabbing a tennis ball from my skirt pocket. I threw the ball upwards. I followed it with my eyes as it hit my racket and flew to the other court.

" -30."

**_"Good. Now last thing you need to know is control."_**

I mentally nodded as if my Dad was the one I was playing with. My very first tennis match was with him. I would position myself at the baseline for a serve with him shouting instructions and tips. _Focus Chiharu. He's not the one you're playing with right now._

I took a deep breath before serving again. Oishi-san returned it and in a few seconds we had already broken into a rally.

**_"More power." _**

"15-30."

**_"Eye on the ball Chiharu."_**

"30 all."

**_"Focus."_**

"40-30."

**_"Control your power."_**

"Sakamoto.1 game to love."

oOo

I watched as the ball sailed in the air before hitting the corner of the baseline.

_Moon volley._

"Oishi. 3 games to 5."

I looked at the brunette playing inside the court and noted that she was looking at Oishi with amazed eyes. She had been able to win 5 games against him, breaking 2 of his service games. At first it seemed that she was still getting used to it but as the game went on, she was able to keep up. It was evident that she had been playing for years from her strokes and footwork.

"She's good isn't she Tezuka." Fuji said.

I nodded. I looked back at the court and saw something in Chiharu's eyes. They were charcoal black, but at the very moment, those eyes were filled with happiness. I watched as she walked to the baseline, her dark brown swaying behind her. _Just like that time._

**_Flashback…_**

**_My elbow was already in pain but I willed myself to continue the game. I watched as Fuji served and the ball bounce to my direction. I returned it with ease and in a few seconds we had broken off into a steady rally. He hit the ball to the corner off the court. I was able to reach it but at that very moment a searing pain went through my left elbow and my racket flew from my grasp._**

**_"-wait by the gate." I heard a familiar voice say._**

**_It wasn't that loud and it seemed that I was the only one who heard it. I looked from the corner of my eye to the general direction of the school just in time to see a girl wearing the Seigaku uniform walk away from the court, her dark brown hair swaying behind her. _**_Sakamoto Chiharu._

**_End Flashback…_**

"40-30."

I snapped out of my semi-aware state just in time to see Chiharu stand up from a drop shot position. She went back to the baseline and prepared for another serve. She threw the ball up in the air and slammed it with her racket. _No. Something wasn't right._ I watched as the ball traveled to Oishi's side of the court. It went near Oishi and he prepared to return it. However, as he prepared to swing his racket, the ball hit the ground and bounced up in the air in high speed as if it had been smashed down on the court, making Oishi hit thin air. We all watched as the ball flew past the fence disappearing in one of the bushes outside.

I looked back at Chiharu who was looking at her hand which still gripped her racket.

"Game, set and match. Sakamoto. 6 games to 3."

Oishi walked towards the net. "Is something wrong Sakamoto-san?" He asked.

Chiharu just kept looking at her hand. Fuji looked at me as Oishi cast a worried glance at Chiharu. I walked towards her and noticed that her hand was shaking. _Of course. That shot would require a lot of top spin to execute. _She was still gripping her racket. I took it from her hand and her eyes met mine. She blinked.

"Sorry." She said and I nodded.

She walked towards the net to shake hands with Oishi.

"Are you okay Sakamoto-san?" I heard Oishi ask and I turned my head to their direction to see her nod.

I felt something hit my forehead as I walked towards Chiharu. I looked up and saw gray clouds.

"Saa, looks like it's gonna rain." Fuji said as I handed Chiharu her racket.

"Too bad Kunimitsu and Fuji-san didn't get to play." Chiharu mused and Oishi nodded.

"Saa, it's okay. Right Tezuka?" Fuji said and I nodded before the four of us walked out of the court.

* * *

**Hey guys. Sorry for the long wait. Here's the 8****th**** chapter. Tell me what you think about it. ^-^ Also thanks to the following persons:**

**RockPrincess410,** **Gwendolyn Haze,** **random.A.M,** **and ****Rikkai and hyotei lover.**

**Please leave a review. ~Krisia**


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